If you're anything like me, you're bound to leave shopping for at least one holiday gift for the very last brain-addling, nerve-wracking, beyond-express-shipping second, and end up compromising for a trusty but trite store gift card or something equally predictable. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with a gift card, because, let's face it, who doesn't like a windfall and some no-strings spending cash? But if you're looking to jazz up your seat-of-the-pants gift giving this year, check out some of these alternative goodies.
● Gift subscription to a box-of-the-month club
People have necessarily resorted to experimenting and innovating to stay afloat in this economy, and as a result we've seen forward-thinking entrepreneurs come up with all manner of new business models. One of the newest and fastest-growing is the subscription box service. There's a flavor of box for absolutely every taste and budget: Glossybox and Birchbox for beauty product fanatics, Barkbox and Pawalla for animal lovers and pet people, goodies.co (which, sadly, doesn't offer gift subscriptions as of yet) and Love with Food for foodies and the snack-inclined. For the lifestyle mavens and Renaissance ladies in your life there's, of course, the PopSugar Must Have box, which you might've read about in my last post. You really can't go wrong with these boxes: it's the gift that keeps on giving for as many months as you want it, and it totally recreates that Christmas-morning feeling for your recipient every time it arrives in the mail.
● Voucher for a virtual personal styling service
I can't imagine any busy modern girl who wouldn't love the opportunity to take the occasional break from clothes shopping, have a quick personal style consultation, and receive custom-selected outfits mere days later. Services like Stitch Fix, which sends you a shipment of clothes and jewelry picked for you based on style and budget preferences you detail in their online questionnaire, make the luxury of personal styling super easy and affordable. If you're looking for a personal styling service for your man, check out Trunk Club or LookCraft
● Homemade treats
Everybody loves food, so unless you mix up your sugar with your salt while whipping up a batch of homemade goodies, you're guaranteed a well-received present. And all the time, care, thoughtfulness and effort you expended on your creation is so much more meaningful than the typical manufactured, store-bought present. And the possibilities are endless: you can go the homemade baked goods route (try these decadent Nutella-stuffed brown butter and sea salt chocolate chip cookies or these elegant, New-Year's-Eve-ready sparkling champagne cupcakes), or you can go a slightly more adventurous route, like I plan to do this year: check out those vodka-spiked gummi bears above! A brilliant coworker made a batch of those babies for our office holiday party, and I can't imagine a more fun, festive treat to share with (alcohol-inclined) friends. Plus they're super easy to make -- you just need a couple of days to let them sit in the fridge. Click here for a good, quick tutorial.
● Festive plants
Yet another thoughtful gift that keeps on giving and that I'll guarantee will be well-received, unless you have a rare plant hater in your life (in which case, ignore this section and refer to the other above-cited options). Make sure you get a live plant, and not one of those tacky 80s Palm Beach retiree fabric monstrosities, please. You can choose a little tabletop pine or fir tree, which you'll find everywhere from grocery stores to roadside Christmas tree tents this time of year, and decorate it with a small string of lights or holiday ornaments; or try a lush, fiery poinsettia, which is so gorgeous it doesn't need any extra adornments. If you want to go a more unconventional route, try a potted cactus or succulent, both of which are edgy and low-maintenance and incredibly beautiful. I received the amazing terrarium (from Plant the Future in Midtown Miami) you see pictured above from my Mom as an early Christmas gift, and my guy and I decided to decorate it in place of a Christmas tree. I think the result is just as lovely, and definitely more eco-friendly, don't you think?
I hope this post was helpful, that it sparked some last-minute gift-giving ideas, and that it relieved some retail-induced holiday stress. What other down-to-the-wire gifts have you found yourself preparing this year?
* * *
Some of the links included in this post are referral links. If you use them, I might receive points, credits, or other small perks from the referred merchants. You absolutely don't have to use my referral links if you'd prefer not to, but I'd love and appreciate it if you would help me by clicking them. I am neither affiliated with nor receiving any kind of compensation from the brands mentioned in this post. Views and opinions expressed herein are mine and not necessarily representative of theirs, &c.
Gummi bear and cactus terrarium photos © Sense and Style. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment